A path towards the enhancement of Emotional Intelligence

When
emotional intelligence first appeared to the masses in 1995, it served as the
missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those
with the highest IQs 70% of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into
what many people had always assumed was the sole source of success—IQ. Decades
of research now point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that
sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack.

Emotional
Intelligence is an intangible aspect in all of us. According to research, emotional intelligence
is the foundation for a host of critical skills—it impacts most everything you
say and do each day. Emotional intelligence is the single biggest predictor of
performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and
personal excellence.

According
to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped to popularize EQ, there
are five main elements of emotional intelligence:

1. Self-awareness:

Self-awareness
is the mental picture young children have of who they are in relation to the
world. . It means discovering their bodies and emotions and realizing body
differences in relation to their peers.

Self
–awareness helps young children learn that how they see themselves may be
different from how others see them.
Children who are self-aware are more able to recognize their strengths
as well as their weaknesses. Rich
learning play activities that cater to this development will help the child
make positive connections with his body and society as a whole.

2.
Self-regulation.

Self-regulation
requires a child to develop the ability to manage his emotions and control
bodily functions as well as maintain focus and attention (Gillespie &
Seibel, 2006). Through play, children
learn self-regulation. Teachers support
children’s learning in play by becoming co-players, guiding and acting as role
models.

3. Motivation:

Fun,
excitement, laughter and joy are the key elements that help motivate kids to
play and learn.

Encourage kids to make
decision for themselves, to own their lives a little and to contribute their
thoughts to family activities, rules and experiences. Empowerment is the powerhouse of motivation.

4. Empathy:
Incorporated with Active Listening Skills

Active listening a way for
teachers and parents to convey interest and full attention to what a child is
saying. As a parent or teacher, you should make eye contact, stop what you are doing and get down on the child’s level. You reflect or repeat back what
he/she is saying and what he/she may be
feeling to make sure you understand.

When you actively listen to your
young child, a strong relationship develops. As your child grows, if you
continue to actively listen to her, your relationship will continue to get
stronger. A strong relationship with your child will make it more likely she
will talk with you about her hopes and problems when she is older.

5.
Social skills:

Social skills are behaviors that promote positive
interaction with others and the environment.
Some of these skills include showing empathy, generosity, participation
in group activities, helpfulness, communicating with others, negotiating and
problem solving.

Grandma Lives In Us - a story about Emotional Intelligence

The story is about how a child demonstrated self regulation and accepted cheerfully the death of a dear grandmother. The five aspects of emotional intelligence namely: self awareness, self regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill were creatively described in the story.Now available in kindle format at Amazon. On sale at $0.99!www.adelinagotera.com.